{ "clip_details": { "clip": { "is_admin": 0, "is_owner": 0, "handle": "back-human-bondage", "title": "Back to Human Bondage", "author": "Steven Fink", "author_handle": "steven-fink-1", "author_initials": "SF", "covertext": "Back to Human Bondageby Steve FinkWhat is the relevance of spending a Pesach evening talking about Redemption and Freedo...", "user_image": "", "user_image_original": "", "body": "<p><strong><span><span>Back to Human Bondage</span></span></strong></p><p><span><span>by Steve Fink</span></span></p><p><span><span>What is the relevance of spending a Pesach evening talking about Redemption and Freedom?</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>The 18th century Scottish historian/economist Lord Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747-1813) wrote in 1778 that the world’s great civilizations generally progress through a similar series of cycles.<span>  </span>After saying that the average existence of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years, he summarizes the course of a nation passing through 9 steps.</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>People in bondage first require a spiritual faith to give them courage to pursue freedom.<span>  </span>Freedom to choose and develop his G-d-given gifts brings opportunities and leads to affluence.</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>But affluence tends to lead to selfishness; selfishness leads to complacency; complacency leads to apathy; apathy degenerates into dependency; and dependency can return one back to bondage.</span></span></p><p><span><span>Here’s the sequence:</span></span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>Bondage; Spiritual Faith; Freedom; Abundance; Selfishness; Complacency; Apathy; Fear; Dependency; Bondage<br /></span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>Note that the first generation throws off the shackles of bondage only to have a later generation through apathy and indifference allow itself to once again become enslaved.</span></span></p><p><span><span>Again and again, after freedom brings opportunity and some degree of plenty, the competent become selfish; luxury loving and complacent; while the incompetent and unfortunate grow envious and covetous; and all three groups turn aside from the hard road of freedom to worship the golden Calf of economic security.</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>In his book \"When Nations Die; Ten Warning Signs of a Culture in Crisis,\" Jim  Nelson Black reviews history, analyzing the death of nations, and identifying ten warning signs of a nation in crisis: (1) Lawlessness, (2) Loss of Economic Discipline, (3) Rising Bureaucracy, (4) Decline of Education, (5) Weakening of Cultural Foundations, (6) Loss of Respect for Tradition, (7) Increase in Materialism, (8) Rise in Immorality, (9) Decay of Religious Belief and (10) Devaluing of Human Life.</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><strong><span><span>Freedom by itself is not sufficient for constructing the quality of society and culture appropriate to man, his dignity and his capacity.<span>  </span>Freedom must be oriented beyond itself to truth:<span>  </span>the truth of man's origin, the truth of man's nature and the truth of man's destiny.</span></span></strong></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><span>The decline and fall of nations is usually due to internal factors rather than external threats.<span>  </span>Even though some may have fallen to barbarians, their demise ultimately came because of moral and spiritual weakness which manifested itself as military weakness.</span></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span> </span></p>", "cliptype": "text", "clipsource": "original (Steve Fink)", "featured": 0, "featuredIn": null, "is_public": 1, "is_published": 1, "media": { "image": null, "audio": null, "video": null }, "thumbnail": null, "clip_section": [ { "haggadah_section": "Introduction", "slug": "introduction" } ], "likes": 0, "downloads": 211, "tags": [], "themes": [], "language": "0", "is_bookmarked": "0", "is_liked": 0, "meta_tags": { "title": "Back to Human Bondage | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "keywords": "", "og:type": "article", "og:url": "https://www.haggadot.com/clip/back-human-bondage", "og:title": "Back to Human Bondage | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "og:description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "og:image": "" } } }, "contributed_by": { "author": "Steven Fink", "handle": "steven-fink-1", "author_initials": "SF", "total_books": 0, "total_clips": 2, "total_followers": 0, "is_following": 0 }, "user_book": null, "clips_by_author": [ { "clip": { "is_admin": 0, "is_owner": 0, "handle": "pharaoh-hardened-his-own-heart", "title": "Pharaoh Hardened His Own Heart", "author": "Steven Fink", "author_handle": "steven-fink-1", "author_initials": "SF", "covertext": "\"Who is mighty?\"   Not one who can conquer his enemies but \"One who can conquer himself.\" [Pirkei Avot 4:1] איזה הוא ג...", "user_image": "", "user_image_original": "", "body": "\n\n<p> <em>\"Who is mighty?\"</em>   Not one who can conquer his enemies but <em>\"One who can conquer himself.\" [Pirkei Avot 4:1]</em> </p>\n\n<p>איזה הוא גיבור הכובש את יצרו</p>\n\n<p>Many things influence us:  our genes, our parents, our early childhood, our race, creed, culture, class, and the persuasions and pressures of our environment.</p>\n\n<p>But influence is not control.</p>\n\n<p>Judaism is in general, and Pesach is specifically, a tutorial in Freedom:  in the ability to say <em>“No”</em> ; to conquer instinct by conscience.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Pharaoh was born free but became a slave to his own passions.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Once a person has chosen a path of good habits or evil habits, he tends to continue along that path, and it becomes harder and harder to change his course.</p>\n\n<p>We have <em>bechira</em> (free-will) to accept or refuse to accept <em>the yoke of Heaven.</em> </p>\n\n<p>First we are Free.  Don’t blame others, or chance, or ill-fortune.  <em>The Choice Is Yours; The Responsibility Is Yours</em> </p>\n\n\n\n<p> <em> </em> </p>\n\n\n", "cliptype": "text", "clipsource": "Original (Steve Fink)", "featured": 0, "featuredIn": null, "is_public": 1, "is_published": 1, "media": { "image": null, "audio": null, "video": null }, "thumbnail": null, "clip_section": [ { "haggadah_section": "-- Exodus Story", "slug": "exodus-story" } ], "likes": 0, "downloads": 209, "tags": [], "themes": [], "language": "0", "is_bookmarked": "0", "is_liked": 0, "meta_tags": { "title": "Pharaoh Hardened His Own Heart | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "keywords": "", "og:type": "article", "og:url": "https://www.haggadot.com/clip/pharaoh-hardened-his-own-heart", "og:title": "Pharaoh Hardened His Own Heart | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "og:description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "og:image": "" } } } ], "clip_remake_history": 0, "meta_tags": { "title": "Back to Human Bondage | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "keywords": "", "og:type": "article", "og:url": "https://www.haggadot.com/clip/back-human-bondage", "og:title": "Back to Human Bondage | Passover haggadah by Steven Fink", "og:description": "Our simple platform allows you to create a custom Passover Haggadah, with access to unique content contributed by our community. Find artwork, family", "og:image": "" } }